Tensions Escalate in Islamabad: PM Condemns PTI Protest Violence

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, denounced the violent attack on law enforcement by PTI protesters in Islamabad. As violence escalates with multiple casualties, the Prime Minister calls for accountability and stresses the need for maintaining law and order, amidst rising tensions around Imran Khan's imprisonment.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued a strong condemnation of an attack on Rangers and police officers by protesters affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Islamabad. The Prime Minister, in his statement as reported by ARY News, has urged immediate accountability for those responsible.

Sharif highlighted the urgent need for top-tier medical care for the injured law enforcement personnel. He affirmed that violence disguised as peaceful protest is intolerable, asserting that the police and Rangers are pivotal to maintaining civic order, ARY News reports.

Characterizing the assailants as anarchistic, Sharif pointed to their actions as being fueled by extremism rather than legitimate protest. He has condemned the chaos and violence sparked by what he describes as political malice, reiterating that Pakistan is incapable of tolerating such turbulence.

Violence erupted during PTI's protests demanding the release of Imran Khan from prison, leading to the deaths of several Rangers. The confrontation prompted the Pakistan Army's deployment with shoot-at-sight orders under Article 245, as per security reports from ARY News.

The PTI's major 'do-or-die' rally, led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, now advances into Islamabad. The protest, demanding Khan's release, sees participation from varied regional convoys converging at Islamabad in a united demonstration, according to ARY News.

(With inputs from agencies.)